“In political terms, America is the trump for Russia, Putin closed»

01.02.2018

“Trust but verify” — in the struggle for the return of Russian diplomatic property in the U.S. our Embassy in Washington has decided to adopt the old “homework” of Ronald Reagan, which he once teased Mikhail Gorbachev. The us state Department urged our diplomats to worry about the safety of the premises closed Russian institutions in Washington and San Francisco and immediately got a response “hi”. Say, excuse me, good Sirs, but to believe your word, we refuse!

photo: kremlin.ru

Now all the relationships with you are built on the principle “now is the time to check first, then trust.” And don’t think the quoted phrase is another flight of my journalistic imagination. This is a quote from the official statement of the Russian Embassy in the United States.

Elegant and witty? Without question. But the local success of our diplomats in the formulation of the principle of our policy in relation to one particular “mindset” of our relations with the United States only makes more prominent global issue. Our contacts with America are not just found in a state of “collapse”, as acknowledged recently, Dmitry Peskov. America’s foreign policy, Russian diplomacy is in a state of deaf intellectual impasse. The only thing that seems our representatives in Washington is about and no reason to demonstrate your wit. All other diplomatic channels of influence on the American elite are in a state of blockage and blockage.

We can’t get meaningful dialogue with the American top. The Congress, which was intercepted by the Executive branch controls foreign policy in the Russian direction, to talk with Moscow do not want. With representatives of the administration to trump except for a couple of shapes such as a special representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, Ambassador in Moscow of Jon Huntsman to speak by and large useless. Functionaries of the administration either did not decide or afraid of their own shadows, or are not less anti-Russian than members of Congress.

In political terms, America is the trump for Russia, Putin closed. Time to come up with jokes about what if the notorious Russian hackers do something they screwed up during the American presidential election, they chose as the object of their attacks, not the candidate. But, of course, diplomatic strategy cannot be supplanted by black humor. And what course of action suggests itself: if America doesn’t want to talk to Russia, then Russia has no reason to invite a conversation with America. Let the Americans stew awhile in their own juices. Let them sort out their own problems. Let them determine whether their own President, “foreign hirelings”. Let them come to life. And then — and only then — on the issue of resumption of dialogue between Russia and America will be back.

Such behaviour can not fail to impress those Russian citizens who have everything in order with dignity. But she, too, has its downside. During the global economic crisis of 2008, in American political jargon has entered the expression too big to fail. It meant that one or the other problem the Corporation is too big and too important to the economy, that she could afford to splurge. Likewise, America is too big to ignore — too big and too important a country to be ignored without damage to their own interests.

And primarily we are talking about the interests in the economic sphere. The notorious “Kremlin report” the U.S. Treasury over the past few days made a fool of all who could. But to me in this regard come to mind two sayings — “the beginning” and “he laughs best who laughs last.” Can’t and don’t want to make predictions about how America will or will not be to push us in economic terms. But, it may be reasonable to prepare for the worst — the worst in terms of access to advanced foreign technologies and global financial markets. For the U.S. Congress and U.S. intelligence, the desire to “punish Russia” has become something of an obsession. And the possibility of symmetrical “economically punishing America”, as we know, no.

All this should push Moscow to the desire to establish a dialogue with Washington. However, as we have already established, a real opportunity to establish a dialogue now there. We thought back to where we started. The circle is closed. Of course, desperate situations do not happen. International politics is always evolving in an unpredictable direction. What seemed so solid yesterday, tomorrow may just be a Mirage. But while tomorrow has not yet arrived. While Russian diplomacy is desperately needed fresh ideas about how to move forward. And one borrowing Proverbs from the repertoire of Ronald Reagan here, unfortunately, is not enough.

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